~ Day by day with RA …

Updates

I haven’t posted for a few days and I realized that I owe some updates.

I have compromised on the Paleo diet. It did make a difference in how I felt. I also felt very deprived. Good food is one of my great pleasures in life and it was difficult eating out as much as we do, being confined to certain dishes and making constant adjustments. It is definitely a commitment. I stayed on it for six weeks with good results. Additionally, I was advised to increase my intake of whole grain to help with my cholesterol/triglyceride issues — which is contrary to Paleo. So I’ve gone off Paleo, but I have cut out the vast majority of processed food and improved the quality of the food I do eat. I still feel better than I did before starting the Paleo diet and I’m happier and more fulfilled with my food choices.

The hearing test didn’t reveal any major surprises. I have some high-level hearing loss in both ears — which means that I always hear people speaking, but may not always understand them. There was still some temporary issues associated with the congestion in the right ear which they said would resolve itself when that ear finally completely cleared. So it’s all good.

The RA continues to be at bay. The addition of 10 mg of Arava seems to have provided the boost I needed. My knees bother me a bit more now I’m off Paleo than they did before, but overall I don’t have a lot of issues — for which I am very grateful. I get the occasional twinge in the left hip where I had bursitis issues, but so far that’s all that it’s been – a twinge. The bursitis has stayed away since the steroid shot which also largely resolved the issues in the knee.

Other than that it’s still terribly hot and dry in Dallas. The damage to the livestock and agriculture industries in Texas is in the billions of dollars. I keep thinking if we can just make it to September, maybe things will cool down and we’ll get some rain.